Thermal changes are one major reason for machining errors. The simulation of thermal compensation processes is therefore of extraordinary importance for the correction and compensation of thermal errors. Most models assume static power losses in machine components and neglect the influence of the machining task on the resulting power losses. Previews research showed that the machine tool activity has a significant effect on occurring power losses. Coupled to a FE model, thermal errors can be predicted more accurately. To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, the procedure was applied and examined on a machine basis, which is one of the most complex components of a machine tool from a thermal point of view. Therefore, this work describes the concept, application and evaluation of the task-specific thermal prediction. The paper showed that this strategy allows the extrapolation to an unknown and complex load scenario with only 30% prediction error.